‘Eight Below’ emerges on top

Los Angeles – “Eight Below,” a tale of survival among abandoned sled dogs, was the leader of the box-office pack with a $25 million opening over the four-day holiday weekend.

The romance spoof “Date Movie,” from 20th Century Fox, debuted in second place with $22.3 million, according to studio estimates Monday.

The new movies bumped off Sony’s “The Pink Panther,” the previous weekend’s No. 1 film, which slipped to third place with $21 million, raising its 11-day total to $46.7 million.

The rest of the top 10:

4. “Curious George,” $15.3 million.

5. “Final Destination 3,” $12.5 million.

6. “Firewall,” $10.3 million.

7. “Freedomland,” $7 million.

8. “Big Momma’s House 2,” $5.85 million.

9. “When a Stranger Calls,” $5.8 million.

10. “Nanny McPhee,” $5.1 million.

Bono feeds a need

Brasilia, Brazil – Bono will donate one of his guitars to benefit Brazil’s Zero Hunger campaign, the government’s official news agency said Monday.

The guitar will be auctioned off after U2’s concerts this week in Sao Paulo’s Morumbi soccer stadium, according to Agencia Brasil.

The Zero Hunger campaign’s goal is to ensure all Brazilians have three meals a day by the end of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s presidential term Dec. 31.

The rock star-activist met with Silva at the Granja do Torto presidential resort to talk about the government’s efforts to reduce hunger and develop renewable energy sources.

Lenny Kravitz donated one of his guitars to the Zero Hunger program last year, bringing in about $132,000 at auction.

Opry gets to Carnegie Hall

Nashville, Tenn. – Country singer Vince Gill will host a television special next month with an unlikely combination of subject and venue: “The Grand Ole Opry at Carnegie Hall.”

The two-hour show March 12 on the Great American Country cable network will feature performances by Gill, Brad Paisley, Alison Krauss, Trisha Yearwood, Alan Jackson, Martina McBride, Trace Adkins and others.

It captures a Grand Ole Opry show presented at New York’s Carnegie Hall in November – the first time the radio program had visited the hall in 44 years. It was part of the Opry’s 80th anniversary celebration last year.

The first broadcast of the Grand Ole Opry, then called the WSM Barn Dance, was Nov. 28, 1925. It is the longest continuously running radio show in the country.

Trial set for Gary Glitter

Hanoi, Vietnam – Former British rocker Gary Glitter will stand trial March 2 on charges he committed obscene acts with two underaged Vietnamese girls, the presiding judge said Monday.

Glitter, 61, who won fame as a flamboyant glam rocker in the 1970s, has been accused of kissing and fondling a 10-year-old and 11-year-old and “engaging in other physical acts” at his rental home in the coastal resort city of Vung Tau last year.

If convicted, he faces three to seven years in prison.

Glitter, whose real name is Paul Francis Gadd, has been in police custody since Nov. 19, when he was seized in Ho Chi Minh City trying to board a flight out of the country.

He is perhaps best known for his song “Rock and Roll (Part 2),” often played at sporting events.

He was convicted in Britain in 1999 of possessing child pornography and served half of a four-month jail term. He later went to Cambodia and was permanently expelled in 2002, but Cambodian officials did not specify any crime or file charges.

Gonzo tribute

Aspen, Colo. – The first issue of The Woody Creeker, a magazine co-edited by Hunter S. Thompson’s widow, was making its debut Monday, the anniversary of the gonzo journalist’s death.

The magazine was to be available first to people in Woody Creek, where he lived, and will go out to subscribers later this week, Anita Thompson said Sunday.

Hunter S. Thompson shot himself in his home Feb. 20, 2005, following health problems. In August, friends and family held an elaborate private memorial service at his farm. His ashes where shot out of a 15-story cannon in the shape of a fist.

On Sunday, Anita Thompson made public a rarely seen photograph of her husband at his Web site, http://gonzostore.com, saying it was a free download to fans who had asked her about marking the anniversary of her husband’s death.

In a note on the Web site, she thanked fans for their letters, cards, and e-mails, adding, “I hope I can repay the favor over the next few years by making more of Hunter’s work and life available to you.”